I have thinly disguised this thread by adding the words Canyon Nerve to the title . Dont let that fool you though this is the same old new wheels thread.
Anyhoo having sold my hardtail I now only have one mtb and It needs new wheels to replace it’s stock Mavic crossrides which weren’t great.
I have secured a well priced front 717 with a hope hub and now looking to get a equivalent rear wheel to suit a 10 speed cassette.

Do I go for a 717 rear with hope or XT hub or can anyone recommend a equally strongish rim / hub alternative. Im no downhill god but want something fairly strong but not overly heavy.

717 is a sort of weird one- very strong for an XC rim, but also pretty heavy. It’ll take a lot more hammer than most XC rims for that reason but then, it’s a bit too skinny for the fat tyres that you’d usually choose if you were going to ride it hard. Still it might fit for you.

What do you do with it really?

The usual sort of Edinburgh / East lothian stuff , occasional trips to the tweed valley (3 Brethern , gypsy Glen plus GT). To be honest the heaviest use they would get would be Laggan or the jumps at Carberry . My crossrides are fairly bad for snapping spokes as they are the Mavic Bladed ones but this also may be down to the user being a bit Hashy. 😀

No reason why the rims should match, but tbh I’d prefer a wider rim for the front.

I have put stans flows on hope 2 evos on my nerve am7 as i completely buckled back mavic when landing with a flat! and they have revolutionised the bike (also went tubeless at same time) – much lighter and stiffer. Love them.